Tissue culture and in vivo genetic screening methods
have answered many questions on Salmonella pathogenesis
mechanisms and have led to identification of several
key genes. However, these approaches do not lend themselves
easily to more routine application or screening of
a wide variety of environmental factors that Salmonella
and other foodborne pathogens may encounter during
food processing. Specific genetic constructs of Salmonella
with key virulence gene promoter sites combined or fused
with structural genes encoding for synthesis of enzymes,
such as β-galactosidase, have proven to have utility for
screening different incubation conditions in laboratories